Contextual arts district street scene in a river town

Things to do

What to do in New Hope and Lambertville

Start with New Hope’s riverfront, Main Street, and the bridge to Lambertville. Choose a Playhouse performance or gallery afternoon, then give one separate half-day to Fonthill Castle, Peddler’s Village, or a covered-bridge drive.

Walkable river towns

Main Street, the New Hope riverfront, the free bridge, and Lambertville make the strongest car-free circuit. Add the canal only where current signs show an open segment.

Stages, galleries, and film

Bucks County Playhouse is the headline venue; New Hope Arts, Music Mountain Theatre, and ACME Screening Room add gallery, musical, and film choices on both sides of the river.

Bucks County beyond town

Choose one drive: Fonthill Castle for Mercer tilework and architecture, Peddler’s Village for shops and family-friendly walking, or a short covered-bridge route.

Activity list

Eight New Hope experiences worth choosing among

Keep the river-town core on foot, but do not treat every attraction as part of one walking loop. Fonthill Castle and Peddler’s Village require separate drives, while the canal requires a same-day conditions check because construction can break the towpath.

Delaware Canal towpath

Treat the canal as an out-and-back only where signs confirm the towpath is open. The path beneath Union Mills Bridge at Water Works, Mile Post 23.7, is fully closed until further notice; do not attempt to pass the barricade. Canal water levels can also change during repair work.

Delaware Canal State Park conditions

Bridge to Lambertville

Cross the pedestrian walkway for Lambertville’s antiques, galleries, coffee, restaurants, and quieter side streets. It is a genuine second downtown, not merely an overlook from the bridge.

Visit Bucks County

Bucks County Playhouse

The Playhouse presents musicals, concerts, comedy, and seasonal productions on the New Hope riverfront. Pair a performance with dinner nearby instead of adding another drive after the show.

Bucks County Playhouse show schedule

Galleries and shops

Main Street and its side streets place galleries, independent shops, and coffee stops within the same compact walk. Check New Hope Arts for current exhibitions and local arts events.

New Hope Arts

Fonthill Castle

A strong Bucks County add-on for history, tilework, architecture, and a bigger sense of place beyond the river towns. Check tour times before heading over.

Fonthill Castle

Peddler's Village

A village-style shopping and dining detour that can be the one wider county stop, especially with families or travelers who want an easy stroll beyond downtown New Hope.

Peddler's Village

Covered-bridge countryside

Bucks County's covered bridges sit on separate backroads beyond New Hope. Choose a short mapped route rather than trying to visit every bridge in one afternoon.

Covered bridges

Riverfront dinner and dessert walk

Combine dinner with the illuminated bridge, ice cream or coffee, and the short riverfront walk back toward Main Street or the inn.

Restaurant guide
Contextual performing arts evening in a river town

Good pairing

Match dinner to the performance venue

Check performance times before reserving dinner. Bucks County Playhouse sits in New Hope’s riverfront core; Music Mountain Theatre and ACME Screening Room are across the river near Lambertville. Keeping the meal on the same side avoids a second parking search before curtain.

Bucks County PlayhouseMain New Hope stage for musicals, concerts, comedy, and seasonal productions right by the riverfront core.Show schedule →Music Mountain TheatreLambertville stage with mainstage musicals and family productions for nights when the Playhouse calendar does not match the trip dates.Mainstage schedule →ACME Screening RoomLambertville film and events venue for a smaller arts-night option across the bridge.Film and event listings →
First weekendRiver and canal guide